Jeffrey MacMillan/FOR WASHINGTON POST - WASHINGTON,DC-MARCH 15: LightSquared booth at Satellite 2011 Convention at Washington Convention Center in Washington,DC on March 15, 2011 ( Photo by Jeffrey MacMillan/For Washington Post)
The struggle over the airwaves that has bogged down Reston-based LightSquared’s plans to deploy a wireless broadband network looks like it might be nearing a showdown.
The company made its boldest attempt yet to squash the opposition last week, asking the Federal Communications Commission to issue a declaratory ruling asserting LightSquared’s right to use the spectrum.
At issue is the network’s potential interference with the receivers on global positioning systems that provide navigation support to consumers, companies and the federal government. Opponents of the project say that interference could cripple industries that rely on GPS and would cost, at minimum, hundreds of millions of dollars to fix.
Those claims gained further support earlier this month when officials from several government agencies reported that tests showed the LightSquared network would interfere with “the majority” of GPS receivers.
“LightSquared, at this point, and basically reacting to continued evidence of interference, continues to modify its plans,” said Jim Kirkland, vice president and general counsel at positioning services firm Trimble. “They are reaching the point where no other modifications can made other than not operating.”
That is certainly not the company’s view.
LightSquared, which is backed by Harbinger Capital Partners, said in its FCC petition that its satellite-based network is consistent with its license and should not be penalized because the GPS industry “simply has failed to prepare itself.”
“In contrast [to LightSquared’s network], commercial GPS receivers are not licensed, do not operate under any service rules, and thus are not entitled to any interference protection whatsoever,” the filing stated.
LivingSocial university
Tech companies often complain about the difficulty they face filling jobs that require advanced Web development and computer programming skills, particularly in Washington where they must compete with the federal government and contractors for top talent.
District-based LivingSocial has taken a new approach: School them yourself.
The daily deal purveyor has begun fielding applicants for the 24 slots in its inaugural class at the Hungry Academy. The five-month, paid apprenticeship — named for the company’s original moniker, Hungry Machine — will offer classroom instruction and hands-on experience at LivingSocial’s New York Avenue headquarters.
The academy is a joint effort with JumpstartLab, a Washington outfit that teaches technical skills. A spokesman said participants who successfully complete the program may be offered jobs with LivingSocial’s engineering team. (LivingSocial’s chief executive Tim O’Shaughnessy is the son-in-law of Washington Post Co. chairman and CEO Donald E. Graham).
Alarm app
More than 75 percent of Alarm.com users monitor their home security system from smartphones rather than the company’s Web site, according to an analysis the firm plans to release next month.
The result offers a case study in the rise of the smartphone.
In 2009, Alarm.com debuted mobile apps that can arm or disarm a security system, monitor video cameras, send security alerts and control a home’s lights, locks and thermostat.
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